Jealousy
by sanejane
Summary: Edited repost. Fox finally has Whitney, the woman of his dreams. Or is she really the woman of his dreams? What happens when his old friend Dylan comes into town, and shows an interest in Theresa? Sparks of jealousy fly everywhere, ricocheting off all
1. Chapter 1

Jealousy

By: SaneJane

Summary: Edited repost. Fox finally has Whitney, the woman of his dreams. Or is she really the woman of his dreams? What happens when his old friend Dylan comes into town, and shows an interest in Theresa? Sparks of jealousy fly everywhere, ricocheting off all the residents of Harmony and proving just how closely entwined they are.

A/N: I began this way back in the days when I still watched "Passions," as opposed to now and I only keep up with it online. I quit watching regularly after Kay and Fox got together, and quit once and for all when Justin Hartley left the cast. I hate the New Fox, so in this fic, keep Justin in mind, please.

This takes place around the time Theresa was Ethan and Gwen's surrogate and Whitney and Fox got together, though with my own twists. The comings and goings of the plot:

Chad and Whitney are still believed to be brother and sister, and she's pregnant with, well, Miles, I suppose. They found out they were brother and sister in time right after he knocked her up, but she's keeping the pregnancy a secret in hopes of passing the baby of as Fox's.

Theresa never did that whole surrogate scandal thing. She's still hung up on Ethan, and Ethan and Gwen are still trying to have a biological baby of their own.

Gwen and Rebecca never took Little Ethan away from Theresa, though he mostly lives at the Crane mansion.

Fox and Whitney are together.

Fox is still instated at Crane Industries, but Chad is not. Alistair wouldn't let him be a part of the Crane family business, as he's an illegitimate child.

Happy reading.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter One: The Unexpected Phone Call

A huge sigh was elicited from the lips of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, which were currently set down into a frown. Ripping off her huge Chanel sunglasses, she craned her neck up, peering over herself down at the glittering, crystal clear water of the Crane swimming pool, where her two best friends in the world, Whitney Russell and Fox Crane, were supposed to be swimming. But instead of swimming, they were about waist-deep in the water, kissing quite loudly and obviously.

All the love they shared was really getting on the Hispanic beauty's nerves. Love hadn't been shining too brightly on her as of late. So seeing the two people she was closest to be all over each other on a daily basis was enough to make her feel depressed. When she was alone with Whitney, all the girl talked about was how in love she was with Fox. And when she was alone with Fox, all he talked about was how in love he was with Whitney. As for Theresa…Theresa had no one to love. All she had ever wanted in life was to find that special someone to love, marry him, and have lots of children. But so far, she hadn't been able to accomplish that.

Ever since she had been a little girl, she had thought she knew who that man was. Ethan Crane, who since then had turned out to be Ethan Winthrop, but he had other plans. After bouncing back and forth between Theresa and another woman by the name of Gwen Hotchkiss, who was just about as different from Theresa as possible, he had eventually chosen Gwen, who was pregnant with his child at the time. After their daughter Sarah had died, however, Theresa had expected Ethan to come back to her. But so far, that had not happened.

So the fates hadn't smiled upon her when it came to love. That was all going to change though, right? Yes, it had to. At least that's what she constantly told herself. Things were going to change. Ethan was going to come back to her. It was only a matter of time.

But at the moment, she really couldn't handle anymore of the little PDA show Whitney and Fox were putting on. "Excuse me," she said loudly, clutching a hand over her bikini top. She had untied the strings that went around the next so she could tan without the fear of tan lines, but she was now in danger of having it fall down when she sat up. Finally, Fox and Whitney broke apart. "Could we tone it down a bit? It's kind of strange to see you two all over each other. Couldn't you ease me into it a bit? Not just start making out all over the place?" After all, it had only been a couple of weeks since the two of them had become more then just friends. And it had only been about that long since Whitney had found out that Chad, her boyfriend of many years, also doubled as her half brother. Though Theresa knew Fox had loved Whitney for a long time, she still got a little shocked when she saw them kiss. It was just WEIRD.

"Sorry," Fox replied with his patented smirk. He ran a hand over his glistening, wet blond locks. "I have a problem with keeping my hands to myself when I get around this gorgeous woman."

Whitney giggled as he slid an arm smoothly around her bare waist. She sobered though, as she whispered to her boyfriend, "C'mon, you know how Theresa has been feeling lately, with Ethan and everything…I don't think she's in the mood to see us be so in love."

Reluctantly, Fox nodded. "Okay. Fine."

Pecking him on the cheek, Whitney pulled her thick mass of curly hair away from her face and secured it back with a hair band from around her wrist. "Thank you."

Theresa, having overheard all this, wordlessly thanked God that Whitney had enough common sense to know all this and be sympathetic to her feelings. Relaxing again, she resituated her sunglasses back on her nose, and then stretched her arms down at her sides, deciding to focus on getting the perfect tan. Maybe once she had perfectly tan skin she'd be more desirable to Ethan.

Just after that thought occurred to her, a loud ring sounded in the air, that of a shrill cell phone. It wasn't coming from her things, which were gathered in a pile next to her chair, which meant that it had to be either Fox's or Whitney's. "Who's is that?" she asked, not opening her eyes.

"Mine," came Fox's voice as a reply. There was a loud splashing as Fox hoisted himself up out of the pool, and headed over towards where he had placed his towel, his cell phone sitting on top of it. Flipping it open, he placed it up to his wet ear, answering, "Fox Crane."

"Foxy old buddy!" a loud, jovial voice exclaimed in return. It was a voice Fox never forgot, and never would forget, though he hadn't heard from him in months. Dylan Banning, his best friend from his adolescent years at boarding school. "How are you?"

Settling down onto the white, perfectly clean lawn chair, Fox picked up a towel and roughly rubbed his hair. "Great. And you?"

"Funny you should ask about me…because you'll never guess where I am."

"Probably not," Fox agreed. Dylan's family was almost as wealthy as the Crane's, and therefore, Dylan had a lot of money at his disposal. He used it to travel to exotic, expensive places; places Fox would never go in a million years. He had no reason to go. Why leave when he finally had the woman of his dreams? But he had to admit, hearing about Dylan's out of this world adventures were always amusing.

"I'm in Harmony."

Whatever Fox was expecting, it wasn't that. "Repeated that," he requested after a long, silent pause.

"I'm in Harmony," Dylan said again dutifully. His voice held a note of laughter as he continued, "Where in Harmony you may ask? Well, for the answer to that…just turn ever so slightly to your left."

Unable to comprehend all this information and still shocked that his best friend was in the actual same town as him, Fox turned, not expecting the obvious. The obvious being that sure enough, there sat Dylan's red Porsche, with none other then Dylan leaning against it's gleaming hood, a cell phone drawn up to his ear. Upon seeing Fox spot him, he raised an arm, waving, while saying into the phone, "Long time no see."

"No way in hell…" Fox muttered, a slow smile spreading over his face at the prospect of seeing his old friend again. "Why are you here?"

"Came to check up on you, of course. Scope out what's so great about sleepy ol' Harmony that has kept you here." He continued to stand, immobile, next to his car. "So far, I just don't get it. Why are you still in this hellhole?"

"The company," Fox retorted, grinning like crazy. "Come out to the pool and see." With that, he closed his cell phone, and set it down onto the towel, resisting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. Quite calmly, he turned back to a curious Whitney, and a curious, though not showing it as much, Theresa, explaining, "My friend Dylan is in town. Actually, he's on the grounds, and he's coming out here."

"Dylan who?" Whitney questioned, a confused frown wrinkling her otherwise smooth forehead. "I've never heard you talk about any Dylan."

"It's his friend from boarding school," Theresa supplied from over on her chair. Raising her sunglasses up, she looked at Fox with a questioning note in her big doe eyes. "Why is he here?"

Fox shrugged. "Said he wanted to check up on me."

"And that I did," came a male voice from behind Fox, as Dylan Banning slipped into the pool area, closing the gate behind him.

Dylan was, no matter who you were talking to, undeniably gorgeous. His thick, wavy black hair and smoky gray eyes were a family trademark, and he had the smile of a heartbreaker that could melt even the iciest of hearts. He was charming and funny, plus well traveled and educated. The kind of man any woman would want. But Dylan didn't want just any woman. He had the unfortunate habit of going through woman after woman after woman, breaking hearts in the blink of an eye. Just like Fox used to do. But while Fox had given up that way of life, Dylan was still at it.

"How's it going, Fox?" he greeted easily, clapping Fox on a bare, wet shoulder. His eyes flitted over Whitney, lingering on her for a moment, before flicking over to Theresa and settling there. He quite clearly liked what he saw.

Fox noticed this, but decided to let it go. For now. "It's going great." Turning back towards the pool, where Whitney still resided, he introduced, "This is Whitney—"

"Ah, the famous Whitney," Dylan interrupted with a knowing grin. "The one who captured playboy Fox Crane's heart. It's great to finally meet you."

Whitney, amused with this, smiled in return. "You too. I had never heard of you before today…but well, it's great."

"Fox talked Dylan all the time when he first moved here," Theresa informed her friend, still lounging in her chair. While Dylan had taken the moment to give Whitney the once-over, she in return had done the say to him. Now she appeared that she really didn't care, and kept her eyes closed, drinking in the sun. "Then he just kind of…stopped."

"I should be offended, but I'm not. I'd probably want to forget me too," Dylan cracked, still eyeing Theresa with an interest. "Fox, do tell, who's your other lovely friend?"

"That's Theresa," Fox answered after a brief pause. He knew that look in Dylan's eye, and he really didn't like it. He could care less how many hearts Dylan had broken in the past, but he was not going to let him mess around with Theresa. She was too special for that.

"Theresa…as in Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, your ex-stepmother?" Dylan asked, slow realization dawning over him. He extracted his hands from his pockets in an unhurried, thoughtful manner as he chewed on this piece of information. "Your GORGEOUS ex-stepmother?"

"For the record, I was never married to Julian," Theresa corrected. She lifted her head slightly and removed her sunglasses, offering Dylan a bit of a smile. "But I'll accept the compliment."

Dylan grinned in return. "You know, Foxy here as sent me pictures of you, but you're a lot more beautiful in person."

"Funny, Fox used that same line on me, except he saw me in the tabloids," was Theresa answer, unmoved by the obvious showering of compliments he was giving her, and probably would have continued giving her, if Fox hadn't given him a swift elbow in the ribs, his meaning clear: lay off.

Slipping back down into the cool water of the pool, Fox asked, "So, how long you staying here?"

Dylan's eyes were still trained on Theresa, who was by then sitting up and retying the ties on her bikini top. "I think I might stick around for a while, Foxy. You're right. The company here is VERY nice."


	2. Chapter Two: The Invite

Chapter Two: The Invite

"Quit glowering," Whitney scolded, swatting Fox playfully. Her eyes lit up as she surveyed the very thing that Fox was glaring at—Theresa and Dylan, chatting up a storm. "Honey, be happy that another man is showing interest in Theresa! This is just the kind of thing she needs to get Ethan out of her mind."

Fox didn't reply right away, as he thought back on when he had told Dylan that he and Theresa were over. Dylan's initial response had been, 'So, when can I make my move on your lovely ex?'

To which Fox had pretty much replied, 'Stay away from her.'

But now that Dylan was in town, presumably for a while…there was nothing Fox could do to keep Dylan from getting what he had wanted for quite some time—a shot with the lovely Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. Ever since Fox had sent him that picture of her Dylan had most definitely agreed that she was beautiful. And now that he was in town…

Theresa's sparkling laugh sounded just then, jerking Fox back to reality. He snapped his eyes back up towards the pair of them—his two best friends. For a moment, he almost grinned at the look on Dylan's face. It was a look of complete and udder fixation, almost a look of stupor, as he watched Theresa throw her head around as she laughed, her thick, dark hair falling all around her face, cascading down her back tantalizingly, her bright, soulful eyes glittering with amusement. But then, Fox remembered, he had probably looked quite a bit like Dylan did when it was HE who was dating Theresa. She just had this captivating quality about her, one that most men flocked towards.

All but the man who Theresa wanted the most, that is.

"I'll agree, Theresa does need to get her mind off Ethan," Fox admitted begrudgingly, his eyes never moving from Theresa and Dylan. "But I mean, to have DYLAN be the guy to take her mind off him? That's just not right." After all, that would mean that Dylan had succeeded in the area that Fox hadn't. He had tried numerous times to get Theresa to forget about Ethan, tried to get her to commit to their relationship and put Ethan in the past, but it was to no avail. Which was why Theresa had broken up with him in the end—she felt bad that she was in a relationship with Fox while her heart still belonged to Ethan. But if Dylan managed to be the one to finally get Theresa's focus off Ethan, the one thing that Fox had failed at, no matter how hard he had tried, then what did that mean?

Whitney, not enjoying being ignored by her boyfriend, heaved a huge sigh and made a face, a face Fox did not see, as he was still watching his two best friends continue to converse animatedly. She did not like Fox lavishing all this attention on Theresa when rightfully; he should be paying attention to HER. Reaching up, she rested her hands gently on his shoulders, and said in a soothing voice, "Fox, honey, don't worry about it. Theresa's a smart girl. She's not going to let Dylan take advantage of her or anything like that." She then placed a soft, seductive kiss on the back of his neck, trying to draw his concentration back to herself.

However, Fox appeared unmoved by this act. Instead, he shrugged her hands off, his brow knitted together in thought. "I really don't like this…" he muttered to himself as Whitney dropped her hands dejectedly back down to her sides for a moment, before crossing them angrily over her chest.

This was so not the way she had envisioned her day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tell me something, Theresa," Dylan requested, watching as she pulled her sunglasses off her face and then slid them into her hair.

Stretching her arms up over her head in a languid fashion, she smiled at him. He seemed genuinely nice, she had decided. A bit flirtatious, true, but nice. "Sure. What?"

"Why did you and Foxy boy break up?" he questioned, nodding over in Fox's direction. Theresa cast Fox a sideways glance as well, and noted the fact that he was watching her and Dylan quite seriously. The moment he saw that Theresa was watching him in return, he immediately averted his gaze.

Giggling, Theresa rolled her eyes. Fox could be so juvenile sometimes! What were they, back in junior high? Turning back to the question at hand, she merely shrugged her tan shoulders. "We were both in love with other people, and I saw no reason why we should be with each other if we weren't committed to one another." Sighing, she brushed back her hair away from her face. "I mean, he's always loved Whitney, I've always loved Ethan. There was no way around that."

"So…you're still hung up on Big Ethan then?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am."

"Oh." There was a short pause, as wheels in Dylan's head were turning. Theresa was gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. And if she was even half as amazing as Fox claimed she was, then he definitely wanted to get to know her better. If it should lead to something more then friendship…well…he had no problem with that. With a bit of a grin, he said rather abruptly, considering the circumstances, "Have dinner with me tonight."

Startled, Theresa dropped the bottle of tanning oil she was holding. "What?"

"Have dinner with me tonight," he repeated, bending over and retrieving the bottle off the cool blue tiles. As he handed it to her, he scrounged up an explanation for wanting to take her out the best he could. "If I'm going to be staying here for a while—and I really think I might—then I'm going to need someone to show me around…" he trailed off hopefully, the suggestion hanging in the air.

"Well…it's usually my night to watch Little Ethan, my son, you know," Theresa told him, mentally debating in her head. It sounded almost fun, going out with Dylan. After all, she hadn't been out with a guy since she and Fox had broken up months ago. It might be nice to get out of the house. "But…but I don't think Julian will mind if I switch to tomorrow instead. It's not like he cares about Little Ethan anyway, I doubt he even remembers he exists, with all that alcohol intake." She paused there briefly, before agreeing, "Yeah. Yeah, sure, that might be fun." Nodding her head, she confirmed, "I'll go to dinner with you tonight."

A grin blossomed over Dylan's face, a wide, happy grin of a guy who had just gotten his way and loved it. "Excellent."


	3. Chapter Three: Problems with Being Pregn

Chapter Three: Problems with Being Pregnant

"Oh Endora…look at the lovely sight we have to see here!" Tabitha Lenox exclaimed to her daughter, staring down into the blue bowl that held sight of all things in Harmony. Quickly, not wanting to miss a single second of the misery and drama, she crossed the room over to Endora's playpen and snatched her up, settled her on her hip, and then scurried back across the room, allowing her daughter to join in on the fun. "There's Fox Crane, watching the lovely Theresita Lopez-Fitzgerald—his best friend and former lover—get hit on by his OTHER best friend, Dylan Banning. He doesn't look too pleased with it, does he?"

Endora babbled incoherently, pointing a chubby hand down towards the bowl, where the image of Fox's face, which was screwed up in concentration and deep thought, swam. Next to him was a sullen-looking Whitney, who was not too pleased by Fox ignoring her.

"And, my little witchling, we have Whitney Russell, Fox's lady love, who is clearly thinking that her Foxy is spending a bit too much time contemplating on the likes of Theresita. Do you know why she's so peeved, darling?" When Endora didn't answer, except to utter a little fiendish giggle, Tabitha continued, "She's so upset over it because she's counting on Fox being the 'father' of the baby inside her! Chad Harris' baby." Endora didn't appear to be too moved by the news. "Oh you know, her half-brother!"

Letting out little baby noises, Endora clapped her dimpled hands together, amusement glowing in her bright blue eyes. She was just as pleased with this information as Tabitha was.

Cackling, Tabitha shifted her daughter from her left hip to her right. "The boys in the basement will be very happy about this," she said proudly, as Endora began playing with one of the many gaudy necklaces that hung around her neck. Lowering her voice to a hushed whisper, though the two of them were the only ones in the house, she added, "If you ask me, darling, Fox looks a bit jealous, don't you think?" Pausing there momentarily, she glanced back down into the bowl. "Jealous indeed, my little demonita…"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laying a comforting hand on Fox's forearm, Whitney warned quietly, keeping her voice to a gentle tone, as not to be overheard, "Don't ruin this for Theresa."

Fox jerked out of whatever daydream he had previously been in, and turned to face his girlfriend, a flash of something that could only be described as a guilty look flashing across his brown eyes. "Wasn't planning on it."

Not believing him for a second, Whitney rolled her eyes, her mouth set down in an angry scowl. "I'm sure." She shifted a bit on the Lopez-Fitzgerald's floral print sofa, which sat in their homey, wonderfully cozy house, before continuing, "Theresa needs to find a man who treats her as marvelously as you treat me, and maybe Dylan is him, ok? You have to give him a chance with her, he's your best friend."

"Theresa's my best friend too," Fox argued, reaching a hand up and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He cast a backwards glance over his shoulder, making sure that Theresa hadn't finished getting ready and was eavesdropping on them. "I know Dylan. And I know what he's going to do. He's going to get her to fall in love with him, and then he's going to dump her so fast your head will spin. You'll look like that girl in 'The Exorcist.' Now tell me, do you really want that to happen to Theresa?"

"No," was Whitney's immediate response. She very slowly withdrew her hand. "But you should at least give Dylan the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's truly ready to settle down, and—"

"And he's going to do so with a woman he only spent an hour with?" Giving a cynical snort, Fox's meaning was clear: dream on.

"It could happen!"

"But it won't."

Sighing, Whitney leaned back against the couch, wondering why Theresa was taking so long to get ready. Then her wondering turned to Fox, and why he was so obsessed with Theresa not dating Dylan. There was really no reason why he should be so upset about it, was there? Unless…

'_He can't still have feelings for Theresa,'_ she reassured herself, feeling silly that that odd thought had even occurred to her. _'He's in love with ME. And he always will be. He'll love me and our baby forever—even if the baby is Chad's. But Fox doesn't have to know that. He only cares about Theresa in a friendly way, there's no way she could ever come between us.'_

She missed Chad. Missed him as her lover, her confidant, her best friend. She missed the security she felt when she was around him. With him, there was no second-guessing herself. With Chad, she never had to wonder what he was thinking, she always just KNEW. But then it turned out that it wasn't her love for him that made her know him so deeply—it was the fact that they were SIBLINGS. Of course, by then it was too late, and she was already pregnant with Chad Jr.

Mindlessly, she placed her hands on her stomach, cradling the spot just beneath her navel. She was almost a month pregnant by this time, not that Fox had to know that. She'd just tell him she was only a couple weeks along. That would make everything so less complex.

Just then, Pilar burst in through the front door carrying numerous grocery bags, snapping Whitney out of her sorrow filled thoughts, making her jump slightly. Immediately on spotting her, Fox leapt up off the couch, and helped her with her parcels.

"Gracias, Fox, gracias," Pilar murmured as he carried them into the kitchen. Then, turning her sights to Whitney, a smile lit up over her features, canceling out the worry lines that had formed around her forehead and crowfeet at her eyes, making her look beautiful and joyous. "Whitney, how are you? It's so lovely to see you again."

Getting up off the couch as well, Whitney walked the few steps over to Pilar and engulfed her in a quick hug. "I'm good Pilar, and you?"

Always optimistic, Pilar answered, "Good, good. Have you seen my Theresita around?"

Fox stuck his head around the open doorway. "She's upstairs. Do pickles go in the pantry or the refrigerator?"

Tsking at him, Pilar quickly said, "Fox, you don't have to unload my groceries, I will do that." After a brief pause, she asked, "Is Little Ethan with Theresita?"

"No, she's trading with Julian for tomorrow night instead," Whitney explained, trailing the older woman as she walked into the kitchen. "She's going out with a friend of Fox's tonight."

Pilar stopped in mid step and whirled around. "Theresita is going on a date?"

"With Dylan Banning, my friend from boarding school," Fox supplied, still holding the pickles in question, clearly wondering where they went. "You met him, Pilar, the summer I brought him home when I was ten?"

"Was he the little black haired boy with the buck teeth?" she questioned, comprehension dawning over her face, as she gently took the jar from Fox and stored it away in the cupboard. "Who loved pancakes? I cooked them for you two every meal for a week."

Fox grinned reminiscently and collapsed in a kitchen chair. "Yeah. He's in town, and he wasted no time in asking out Theresa." At that, the smile slid right back off his face.

"Which Fox and I couldn't be any happier about," Whitney added quickly, shooting him a disapproving look, as she unloaded various foodstuffs from a paper bag, handing them to Pilar one by one, who was organizing them neatly in her pantry. "Theresa needs to date again, get her mind off Ethan."

"If that's at all possible…" Fox muttered under his breath, toying with the plastic yellow napkin holder in the middle of the table, that at the moment, was void of any napkins.

Neither woman heard him, or if they did, they merely ignored him.

"I agree," Pilar announced, setting a large package of napkins down next to Fox. "Theresita hasn't dated a man since Ethan, and it's been ages since they—"

"There was me," Fox interrupted her, ripping open the plastic that bonded the napkins together. "Theresa and I dated, remember?"

Turning to look at him, Pilar smiled apologetically. "Sorry, of course I remember. But Theresita needs someone to help her get over Ethan, someone who will treat her like she deserves. She's been through so much already, I don't know how much more she can handle." The doorbell rang shrilly just then, and Pilar excused herself to answer it, leaving Fox in a state of shock.

"What did she mean by that?" he demanded of Whitney, who was leaning against the pantry, her hands cradling over her stomach again. "Does she think I didn't treat Theresa good enough or something?"

"Oh honey, don't give it a second thought. I'm sure she just meant that she hopes Dylan and Theresa have a good time tonight—which I do too."

Though skeptical, Fox didn't say anything, as he arranged the blue flowered napkins in the napkin holder.

Whitney sighed at the look of brooding on his face, but at hearing Theresa's laugh, changed courses immediately. "That's Theresa. Lets go say goodbye to her, shall we?" Offering him her hand, she raised her eyebrows hopefully.

Nodding slowly, Fox accepted her hand, and the two of them walked into the living room, where sure enough, Theresa stood, talking to her mother and Dylan.

"I love your dress!" Whitney exclaimed to her best friend, twirling her finger in the air, an indication that she wanted Theresa to spin.

Doing just that, Theresa laughed, the dark red silk fabric of her dress fanning out around her tanned knees. She looked absolutely stunning in the short, formfitting dress, matching satin heels, and even a little red flower pinned to her softly curling hair.

Dylan obviously thought so too. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Which Fox noticed, of course.

Leaning over, Theresa gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you when I get home, ok mama?"

Pilar nodded, her eyes holding a look of longing. To her, looking at Theresa was just like looking at herself twenty years ago. So young, so happy, so full of life. Such a romantic. And Dylan…with his black hair and gray eyes, he could easily pass as Martin. Swallowing the sudden lump that had appeared in her throat, she remembered to give her motherly advice. "Have fun, you two, and Theresita, don't stay out too late, ok?"

Theresa smiled in return. "Yes, mama." Turning her sparkling brown eyes to Fox and Whitney, she asked, "I'll see you guys later?"

"Definitely," was Whitney's reply, quickly giving her a squeeze. "Call me tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok. Bye Fox," she added, before Dylan ushered her out the door. She waved briefly at them over her shoulder, before the door was snapped shut behind her.

Then there was silence in the Lopez-Fitzgerald home.

Finally, Pilar offered, "They make a lovely couple, Dylan and my Theresita, don't you think?"

"They do," Whitney agreed. She smiled up at Fox, expecting him to at least put on a show for Pilar's sake and add that he also agreed, but found him, yet again, staring at the door, in a world of his own. With a sigh, she wondered what on earth was on that mind of his, and what she was going to have to do to get him to pay attention to her. After all, she was pregnant with his child.

Well…not really, but he didn't have to know that, did he?

No, he did not.


End file.
